An Angel Sent From Heaven
by laurennnnnnnnnnn
Summary: After losing her father, a young girl leaves her hometown in southern Ohio to make it on her own in a place far away, Sunny Las Angeles. What happens when she becomes adopted by our favorite L.A. family? Read & Find out! AU, no movie references.
1. Chapter 1

Hey Guys! This is going to be a multichapter AU story. I'm a big fan of AU stories, and stories with original characters, so I'm going to throw in one of my own. Hope you all enjoy!

I walked up the moonlit street and shivered. It was early June in Las Angeles, but I was still a bit cold in my shorts and tank top. I'd forgotten my light jacket on the bus last week, so all I had left were the clothes on my back. It was getting late, and I had hardly slept since I left Ohio, so I knew I had to find a place to crash soon.

I'd love to tell you what my name is, but I truly don't know myself. You see, my mom left my father and me in the hospital the day after I was born. She wasn't ready to be a parent, and I guess she didn't love my father as much as everyone thought. I've never met her, and my dad never talked about her. When I asked about where I came from, all he would say is that I was an angel sent to him from heaven. That's what he would call me, too. Angel. That was only when it was just the two of us though. Whenever someone else was around, he'd call me baby girl. I never understood why, but it didn't matter. It still doesn't. I'd rather not know what name my mother gave me before she left, anyways. If she didn't want me, why would I want to be tied to her?

When I was little, I honestly thought my name was Baby. It was the only thing I'd respond to. My dad used to tell me that my preschool teachers used to call me by my given name, but they soon gave up and called me baby, along with all my classmates. I grew up in a small town in Southern Ohio, where everybody knew everybody. Pretty soon, the name Baby caught on. I haven't been called anything but in years.

I lived a really good life with my dad. He was my best friend, and we did a lot together. He coached my soccer team, came to my swim meets, and taught me to drive. We'd cook dinner together almost every night, and he'd always be there to help me with my homework. I never thought I could live without him, but I never thought I'd have to, either.

Three weeks ago, on his way home from work, my dad got in a car accident. He was on his way to pick me up from school, my last day of sophomore year, when it happened. The light turned green, and he pulled forward, but so did the drunken day drinker to his left. The force of the crash knocked him off the road and into a ditch, where his truck flipped over and caught fire. I was told he died on impact, and that it was painless, but I don't believe it. I have nightmares about it sometimes. He's sitting in the burning car, banging on the window, screaming my name. I know he wants out; I can here him begging for help. I'm running from the school, trying to reach him, but I never gain any ground. It's like I'm running on a treadmill, never getting any closer to my destination.

I spent the days leading up to the funeral at a friend's house, bawling my eyes out while lying in bed, writing in my journal. Eventually I ran out of tears, and my body was mostly numb. I knew what was coming. I couldn't stay with them forever, and even if I could, that town had memories of my father around every corner. Every second I spent there, I felt as thought I was suffocating. I needed to get out before I was sent to a foster home. I had no grandparents left, and my father was an only child. I was too old to be in the system. Nobody would want a teenager like me. I'd only be trapped until I was 18, and that was two years too long.

When the funeral ended, and everyone started heading back to the church for a dinner, I snuck away to a bus station and hopped on. I didn't have an exact place in mind, but I knew it needed to be out west, somewhere warm and near the ocean. I'd stop in at local libraries on my way, to read my town's newspaper articles about me. The search for the "Missing Girl" lasted for about a week and a half. I hadn't had time to grab my journal from under the mattress, and somebody found it. I had written about running away, and they had found out. The articles told me that the search was called off at a town meeting that concluded with a prayer for my safety. That was the best part of living in a small town; the unity within the community. My dad used to tell me that it took a village to raise a child, and that's why we lived where we did.

A few weeks later, and here I am, walking down an L.A. road in the middle of the night. I had read on the internet that this city was famous for illegal street races, and I assumed that's what the revving of engines I heard from a few streets away are. I had little interest in those, however. I've never really been into cars. I was always more interested in sports. Soccer, softball, swim, volleyball, running.. Anything but basketball, really. And while I definitely wasn't afraid to get down and dirty, I still loved doing my hair, wearing makeup, painting my nails, and getting dressed up. Honestly, I have a mixed personality. I'm like a chameleon, I think. I could blend in anywhere.

The road I was traveling down had been moving uphill for the last mile or so, and soon I found myself at the top of the hill. I like to think that my dad keeps watch over me, and I constantly look for signs that he's with me. When I saw where the road dead ended, I knew I had found one. There, sitting right in front of me, was a local garage. Toretto's, the sign said. I could feel it in my gut that this was a good place to crash for the night, and when I walked around to the back, I knew my instincts were correct. Somebody had left the back door unlocked, and when I opened it, no alarm rang out from the inside.

I made my way through the maze of cars and their various parts until I reached the far wall, where I found a worn couch that would serve as my bed for the next few hours. I had the idea to set an alarm on my watch before I fell asleep, but when I lay down, the thought completely left my mind, and I was asleep within seconds.

Well, that's it for the introduction chapter. I promise, the following chapters will be longer. I hope to update every week! Leave a review & let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your opinions & ideas!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N – I'm really excited to bring you this chapter, where our girl gets to meet the gang! I've had a few people PM me with questions, such as.. Will Brian Be in this story? Are we going to get background information on the crew? What are the different relationships? .. Well, all I can say is that you'll have to read to find out!

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(Dom's POV)

Another night at the street races wrapped up with a win, but tonight was different. When I crossed the finish line and stepped out of the car, I got this feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was wrong. I haven't had this feeling since my dad died 4 years ago, but even so, I knew something was up. Vince was waiting for me, and greeted me with a slap on the back. Letty gave me my usual congratulatory kiss, and Mia and Brian both came up to give me hugs. I even got the usual thumbs up from Jesse and Leon. Whatever it was giving me this feeling; it wasn't anything at the street race.

I pushed through the crowd of racer chasers as fast as I could, over to Hector where I could collect my money.

"Here ya go, man, 20 grand." He told me, hanging over the wad of cash.

"Thanks, Hector.", I told him, giving back 5 grand, his share for planning the race. "Listen, the usual party is cancelled. Hold it somewhere else tonight, but I can't go."

Hector looked confused for a second, but didn't question me. I knew I'd get shit from Vince and the boys, but right now the only thing on my mind was the garage. It was the most important thing in my life, and whatever was bothering me, I knew it had to be coming from there.

I walked straight to my car and slid in, not waiting or checking to be sure my team was following me. I knew they would be. I'm their leader, they look up to me. I was always looking out for them, in one way or another. I love all of them, and I'd put their lives ahead of mine any day of the week. Mia's my baby sister. She was the first girl I ever loved, other than my mother. Mia doesn't know, but she is a miniature copy of her. The way she looks, the looks she gives us, the way she loves to cook, and cleans when she's anxious or upset.. Everything about her reminds me of my mom.

Vince, Leon, and Brian are my brothers. I've known Vince since the 3rd grade, where we first became best friends on the playground, and we've been pretty much inseparable ever since. He moved into the house in middle school was his dad started beating him. He just sort of showed up with a black eye, and my dad never let him leave. Leon came a few years later when his addict mother dropped him and his little brother Jesse off at school, and never came to pick them up. I offered them a ride home, but they ended up coming to my place for dinner that night, and every night after that. My dad was happy enough to feed them for all the work they did at the garage. Jesse is a genius with computers, and completely reorganized our system. He's bit reckless with his ADD, but he's everyone's little brother to look after now, and we love him just the same.

Brian and Mia are in love. He first came around when he worked for the LAPD, because we were under suspicion of robbing trucks on the road. When the police team figured out it was actually Johnny Tran, he went down and took his garage with him. Business started booming at Toretto's, and Brian quit the force to become a mechanic with us and be closer to Mia. He always fit in better with us, anyways, and I love having another brother, and another man to look after my baby sister.

As if the 5 of them aren't enough, I also have Letty to look out for. Letty is it for me. The love of my life, the only one who can calm me down and make me feel whole. She always says that I'm like gravity, and that people are drawn to me. That may be true, but Letty is the one who keeps me centered. I've known her since she was just 8 years old, and I've always had this need to look out for her and care for her. One day soon, when life finally settles down, I want to make her my wife and have children with her. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I want to give her the world.

The 5 minute drive over to the garage went by fast with my lost in my thoughts. I turned off my headlights and looked in the rearview mirror to see my team, my family, all do the same as we pulled into the parking lot. Nothing looked out of the ordinary from the front, but when I walked around to the back, I saw right away that the door was unlocked and propped open by a piece of wood caught in the door.

"Vince!" I whispered, turning around, "I told you to make sure you put that board back in the office when you locked up!"

"I thought I did, Dom, I swear." He said, but I could see in his eyes that he had forgotten in his rush to get home. Anybody could have snuck inside the shop by this point in the night, but as Vince, Brian, and I stepped inside, we couldn't find a single thing that was out of place. That is, until Brian made his way over to the far wall and found her.

"Yo, Dom," He called, "I think I found our burglar."

I made my way over to stand beside Brian and looked down at the couch. A girl was laying there, curled up in the fetal position, looking way too innocent to be any trouble. I didn't know what she was doing, but I could feel the tension in my stomach relax. She didn't look like she was up to anything. In fact, she looked a little lost, even in her sleep.

Vince walked up right after me, and while I expected him to be in rage mode after finding that someone had broken into our garage, I actually saw his expression soften a little before he turned to me.

"Who is she?" He asked, and Brian and I just looked at each other. We had no idea who she was. I hadn't even seen her around town before. All we could do was turn back to Vince and shrug.

"Well, what are we going to do? Just let her sleep?"

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(Baby's POV)

Something woke me up from my nap on the couch, and it definitely wasn't my watch alarm. I rolled over to find 3 muscular guys, who all looked to be about 22, staring down at me, arms folded, looking like they meant business. The first man, on the right, had blonde hair and striking blue eyes, Right now, he looked serious, but I could tell that he was a pretty laid back guy. He had one of those faces that seemed friendly and open, even if he wasn't smiling. The man in the middle was big. That was the first thing to come to my mind. He was obviously the most intimidating of the three, which made sense because he was the most muscular, and had the most serious face of all. The third man on the right was gruff. He looked strong and closed off, not friendly at all, but when I made eye contact with him, his expression softened, and for some reason, he actually made me feel like things would be okay. If they did catch me, I didn't think they would hurt me.

I slowly sat up, glancing first at the door to see how far away it was, and then back at the men. I didn't say anything, and neither did they as I bent over to slip on my tennis shoes. When I looked up, the man in the center opened his mouth to speak, but I didn't give him the chance.

As quick as I could, I bolted from the couch and in the direction of the door, jumping over tool boxes and dodging car parts as I went. I could hear the men behind me, yelling at me to stop, but I didn't care. If I could just reach the door, I was sure I could head out into the street and lose them in an alley down the road.

Just as I was about to run out the door, a 4th man stepped through blocking my path. We collided and I probably would have fallen back and hit the ground if it wasn't for the blonde man from the group who found me. He caught me helped to steady me, and then he turned me around to face the group again, never letting go of my arm.


End file.
